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Special abilities
Inquisitor encourages creativity, and with the number of players with dozens of characters, the current line-up of Special Abilities is stretched quite thin. As a result, The Conclave has taken strides to create a new, standardised set of Special Abilities to keep your characters unique and interesting, and there are many more from Dark Magenta articles. Always Has Another Knife Searched his pockets? His belt? How about his hair? Shirtsleeves then. Shoes? It doesn't matter. Strip this man naked if you like; as soon as your back is turned, a knife will be buried in it. If any situation occurs in which the character would be considered unarmed, he can spend an action unearthing yet another of his concealed blades -- these will be mundane knives. Note that these weapons will not be balanced for throwing, so they would count as an improvised weapon if the character wishes to use them at range. Bad Reputation The character is known all over the Eastern Fringe and in many other places, and it isn’t for his friendliness. Gangers, bounty hunters and other underworld-related characters are likely to know of him and will count him as Fearsome. They will usually refuse to work with him, and will generally attempt to persuade their employers that he is not a good prospect (campaign use). Brawler Trading blows with scum in filthy dive bars has made your character into the slugger he is today, skilled at cheap tricks, ducking under his opponent's guard and darting out the way of fatal blows. During combat, the character can Step In and Step Out as a free action. Beefy The character is built like the back end of a Trojan support tank and can shatter dense Sorrentan black ice between his shoulder blades. The character may re-roll any failed Strength tests. Big Game Hunter Long nights spent moving between the canopies of death worlds, or stalking a lone Grunak across the ash plains, the character is adept at picking on something several times its own size. Against anything considerably larger than himself, or anything the GM deems would give the character a considerable trophy if the character can bring it down, the character gains Blademaster, Deadeye Shot and Force of Will against that target. Combat Coordinator The character can not only keep a cool head under fire, but excels at directing the efforts and firepower of others, calling targets and chanting litanies of marksmanship over the vox. If the Combat Coordinator can draw line of sight to a target, any warband members on the same vox channel as the Combat Coordinator gain a +10% to all Ballistic Skill tests when firing at the 'called' target. In addition, once per game, he may impart the Heroic skill to everyone on his vox channel for one turn. Compassion Through respect, friendship or love, the character cares deeply for one of his fellow colleagues, and would willingly put his life on the line for them. The character counts as having the Heroic special ability when within 10 yards of the character he feels Compassion for, or if the GM deems it appropriate (the other character is wounded, and needs saving from the hands of an enemy, for example). Create a Scene The fast-talking character makes a commotion, either through masterful cutting wit, hate-filled vitriol or impressive grenade juggling skills, always drawing the attention of those around him. Those that are close enough to hear the character talking must pass a Willpower test or be at -1 Speed the following turn as they struggle to ignore the distraction in front of them. Demagogue The character is a master when it comes to making rousing, incendiary speeches that stir the listener into (violent) action by playing on their wants, fears and prejudices. Any friendly or non-aligned character hearing the demagogue's speech must make a Willpower test. If they fail they will become subject to Frenzy for the duration of the speech and move to attack the nearest character (or object) against which the demagogue is speaking. Dirty fighter The character is not above getting his hands (and knees and elbows) dirty, and is an experienced brawler. If he is fighting in close-combat without a close-combat weapon, he counts as having an Improvised Weapon he cannot parry with. He will also do such things as bite opponents, knee them in the groin, throw sand in their faces or attempt to gouge out their eyes. Distrust The character is very suspicious of an individual or group he works with, to the extent that he can’t stop running scenarios through his head where something goes awry because of them whenever they are around. When a character is within 10 yards of another character or group of characters he Distrusts, he must carry out his actions for the turn at -1 speed, as he spends a good portion of his time worrying about what the others are up to. Draconian Tyrant The character rules his minions with an iron fist, lashing out indiscriminately whenever he is displeased. As such, his underlings live in fear of failing him and have made the subconscious decision that whatever the enemy can throw at them is nothing in comparison to suffering their master’s wrath. Friendly characters within 6 yards of a Draconian Tyrant receive a +10 bonus to their Nerve characteristic to represent their determination not to fail and suffer punishment. Enmity The character has developed a hatred of another individual or group. Perhaps they foiled his plans, killed someone close to him, or stand for something that totally contravenes his personal beliefs. Rational thought goes completely out of the window when these individuals cross his line of sight, and he will do all he can to destroy them. The character counts as having the Furious Assault ability when in combat with a character for whom he has Enmity. Note: Enmity relates to a fiercer and more visceral kind of antipathy than Hatred, and should be treated as such. Fuzzy About Kneecaps Obviously the Emperor is humanity's saviour, and wishes only the best for his children. It is in his interest that those who have turned from his divine light be given the chance to repent and be cleansed, rather than die bereft of his light. When punitive action is strictly necessary, your character is careful to place his blows with the Emperor's divine love foremost in his mind. The character may modify the hit location of any placed shots by up to 30 points, provided it will hit an arm or a leg. Hatred The character's hatred for a particular individual or group drives him to redouble his efforts when fighting them. Whatever his reasons, the character will focus on eliminating his hated foes by any means necessary. The character may re-roll one failed To-Hit roll per turn against a Hated character, or a character belong to a Hated group or faction. Additionally, if he is able, and not restricted by his orders or the judgment of his superiors, he must dedicate at least one action per turn to eliminating a Hated character, or at least taking them out of action (even if said action is simply to take aim before firing). Note that this action must be only declared, not necessarily achieved. Note: Hatred deals with a colder and more calculating kind of loathing than Enmity, and should be treated as such. His Will Be Done On a mission from the God-Emperor, the character is one of the Emperor's most tenacious servants and has an decree to impart, a deathbed promise to keep from a fallen ally or a nemesis the character needs to drag kicking and screaming into the Void before he does. If the character is taken out of action before their mission or decree is fulfilled, they gain the True Grit special ability. I am the Law The character is a renowned beacon of justice, feared and respected in equal measure - the closest thing Imperial Citizens will ever see to a living symbol of the law handed down from Terra. Most commonly found among Imperial Decreeists but just as suitable for fiery Monodominants, famous war heroes, infamously vicious Arbitrators or any other publicly respected/feared archetype that carries considerable power in the Imperium. Any Imperial character wishing to fire on a character with this trait or their warband must pass a leadership test before doing so. Jaded Whether due to psychological trauma, sheer willpower, or simply the knowledge that there are worse things in the darkest places, the character no longer pays mundane terrors any heed. The character may re-roll failed Fear or Terror tests, provided that the Fearsome or Terrifying character is not also a Warp entity. Note: "Warp Entity" encompasses Psycheneuein, Enslavers, Astral Spectres and the like, as well as daemons, but does not include psykers or psychic powers that make a character Fearsome or Terrifying. Just a Flesh Wound Covered in nicks, scratches, badly-healed broken bones and scars from old wounds, the character is exceptionally capable at shrugging off minor injuries that would falter or slow regular men. The character gains a 'Flesh Wound' injury box on all locations before Light Injury, that has no negative effects. This means that the character must suffer a Flesh Wound before Light Injury, Heavy Injury and so on. Lightning Reflexes / Rapid Reaction The character has astoundingly quick reflexes and can react to circumstances with blinding speed. The character may, at any point once per round, attempt to take a "Reaction". This is always a single action which must be a 'reflex', reacting to the actions of another character or to an event - it may not simply be to run an extra 6 yards, make another attack in combat, or fire an extra shot. Examples might include jumping aside as you see a gunman rear up from behind some crates, lunging instinctively with your sword as the enemy charges in at you, or diving to catch a valuable object that has just been dropped. As ever, the GM is the final arbitrator. The player declares their reaction and rolls a D6. If the result is equal to or less than the character’s Speed, the Action is achieved (a roll of 1 always fails). Once the reaction has been resolved the round continues as normal and the character whose turn was interrupted may continue his turn. Note: The reaction roll failing on a 1 (rather than a 6) is intentional, designed to reduce the chances of a reaction's success (and even then, this is still a pretty powerful ability). Lightning Wits The character thinks on his feet with outstanding speed, able to assess a combat situation and come up with the best course of action in moments. If a character with Lightning Wits needs to Change his Actions as described on page 26 of the Rulebook, then he automatically passes the Initiative test to re-declare his actions. Additionally, he may ignore his first compulsory Pause for Breath action per turn. (For example, when re-declaring his actions, or if he is in a close combat that ends while he still has actions left.) This does not apply to non-compulsory Pause for Breath actions declared by the player. Litanies of Tranquillity The character is well aware of the mental stress and tension that psykers go through daily, and has become adept at calming down these manipulators of reality after a particularly bad episode. Either through the study of Ecclesiastical texts, the stories of grizzled veterans, or just a few really awkward chats with the warbands resident mind-reader, the character knows the words and phrases necessary to restore a psyker to normality. Whatever that looks like. This skill may only be taken by non-psykers, and requires appropriate justification in their backstory. To use the skill, the character must be within five yards of the injured psyker. During the recovery phase, the psyker gains a +10 bonus to their willpower recovery roll, and may restore d6 WP damage instead of d3. Mechanically Minded Whether through years of reading books, tinkering and practice, favour from the Machine Spirit, or through some innate knowledge born or bred into him, the character possesses a phenomenal understanding of technology, weaponry and all things mechanical. The character gains a +20 bonus to Sagacity whenever dealing with mechanisms appropriate to his skill set. My Word Is His The character is an eloquent speaker whose voice conjures images of holy Terra and he enthroned within. Any Imperial servant with even a grain of faith in the Emperor finds their words to be the one true way. Any Imperial character (barring Inquisitors) must obey mundane orders issued by the character with this ability. If the request contradicts a standing order the Imperial character is obeying then they may only ignore the order if they pass a Leadership test. Pickpocket Light of finger and deep of pocket, the character is adept at liberating the possessions of others. If the character manages to successfully sneak up on another character (get within 1 yard undetected), he may attempt to pickpocket a single piece of equipment from the other character (or place an item on the target). Both characters take an opposed Initiative test – if the pickpocket wins he adds the piece of equipment to his character sheet. If his opponent wins, he becomes aware of the attempted theft and receives one free action. '' ''Note: drawn weapons, bionics and clothing/armour cannot be removed by pickpocketing, and the GM should impose suitable penalties for the difficulty of the item in question. Pillar of Fortitude The character strides into battle with a disregard for his own safety, instilling heroism in all those around him, cajoling them into joining him in the firing line. Friendly characters within 5 yards of a Pillar of Fortitude gain a +15 bonus to their Nerve characteristic as long as he is standing - i.e. not prone after injury, or pinned. If either of these situations occur, the bonus is lost for the rest of the game as those around him begin to think more about self-preservation. Practised Aim The character is adept at placing his shots exactly where he wants them to land. When taking an Aim action, the character may declare either +20 to hit, or ±10 to the hit location roll. Aims may be mixed, provided that they are declared as such. Reaper The character excels at cutting swathes through vast numbers of opponents with the arcing swings of his blade. The character can use this talent in hand-to-hand combat if he is at arms length and armed with a reach 4 weapon. The character can choose to target multiple opponents at arms length with one attack, though suffers a cumulative -10% penalty to hit for each target after the first. Any one successful parry (n.b. not dodge) will prevent the character from continuing to hit further targets as his blade will have been deflected out of the attack arc. Sicarius Some Inquisitors of the Ordo Sicarius have hunted agents of the Officio Assassinorum many times in their past. These are intimately familiar with how the assassins are trained and know their every weakness, and although they still see the assassins as deadly foes, they have long since lost their fear of them. A character with the Sicarius trait is immune to the effects of Fearsome and Terrifying when facing Assassin characters and automatically passes any such tests required. Silver-tongued The character could persuade you that black is white and white black; that this really is a primed melta bomb he's holding not a soft drinks can; and that due to the unfortunate invasion of Hive Fleet Kraken he is unable to access the millions of Thrones resting in his account. The character gets a +30 bonus to Leadership when in conversation with another character. Small of Stature The diminutive character counts as a small target (-30% to hit) for both shooting and hand to hand attacks. In addition, normal-sized characters who hit this character in hand to hand combat automatically add +20% to the hit location roll due to the increased likelihood of landing a blow higher on a shorter opponent. This is discounted if the attacking character is prone or at a lower level to his target. Conversely, the character must deduct -20% from their hit location roll in hand to hand combat as they are unlikely to land a blow high on their opponent. If a critical hit is made, this negative modifier may be discounted. Sniper Sneering at the trick-shooters and gunslingers who ply their trade as 'skilled', the character prides himself in the application of lead to flesh with a single, well-placed shot. The character gets a +25 to-hit bonus for an aim action, rather than the usual +20. Stealthy The character is adept at avoiding detection thanks to natural markings, technological masking, small size or training in the arts of stealth. There is a -20% roll to spot the character with an awareness check. Street Fighter Years of scrapping in alleys has taught the fighter all sorts of dirty tricks to gain the upper hand. Any unarmed hit the character makes counts as a critical hit. Strong-Willed Finding courage in his faith, experience, or pure bravado, the character can stand firm against unspeakable horrors through sheer willpower alone. The character treats all Terrifying characters as being Fearsome instead. In addition, the character is immune to the effects of naturally* Fearsome characters. *''Note: this word serves to distinguish a Fearsome character from a "downgraded" Terrifying character -- Strong-Willed does not grant immunity to the effects of Terrifying characters.'' Sure Strike The character bides his time in combat, awaiting the perfect opening to drive a blade between armour plates or through eye-pieces. The character can choose to use this ability in hand-to-hand combat as part of an attack action. Sure Strikes are at -20% to hit, but the attack ignores D6 points of armour on the location hit. Survivor The character has a finely-honed sense for danger – and how to avoid it. When the character fails a pinning test, he dives D6+2 yards towards cover rather than the usual D6. In addition, whenever a pinning test is failed voluntarily, the character need not use his next successful action to recover. Tech Aware The character has more than a rudimentary understanding of the mysteries of the machine. Unusual outside of the natives of Forge worlds, this dangerous knowledge allows them to interact with machinery that would leave the average man baffled. The character receives a +10% bonus to any tests involving interaction with machines (such as programming a cogitator). Torrent of Fire The character can put out a disgusting amount of firepower with the weapons he wields. Whether hair triggers on their pistols with itchy fingers, or able to carry larger weapons in each hand, the character can lay down the amount of suppressing fire equivalent to a small platoon! Any Pinning checks against the character wielding a weapon in both hands are taken at -30. Ultimate Leader The character commands nothing but the utmost respect of his underlings. His plans always succeed, and his followers have complete and utter faith in his abilities. They know that he would not take them into action and throw their lives away for nothing. Ultimate Leaders count as having the Leader special ability as detailed in the rulebook, except that the range of its effects is doubled from 6 yards to 12 yards. Unstoppable Striding through gunfire, shrugging off lasbolts and treating grenade shrapnel like an insect bite in a raging sandstorm. The character is hard to put down by such inconsequential things like loss of limbs and exposed internal organs. The character can re-roll any failed Toughness tests. Warp Sight Through dint of living as an Astropath or some other un-natural phenomenon, the character is blessed (or cursed!) with an advanced sixth sense - literally being able to see the world via the ebb and flow of the warp. Characters with Warp Sight are almost always blind, having their 'true sight' replaced with Warp Sight. This warp-sight means they count as having a 360 degree field of view - their vision is blocked as normal by intervening terrain as it too has a slight warp presence that can obscure those behind it. Characters with the Blunt ability may be almost invisible to the Astropath, but a true Pariah will appear as a gaping void, a hole where something should be. The Astropath will know where the Pariah is, but will be unable to actually 'see' them. Weapon Master The character is an expert with a singular class of weapon, having trained and fought with the weapon for many, many years. In combat, they manipulate the weapon with great speed and skill; twisting, arching and turning the weapon faster than another user would be able to. A character may be a Weapon Master for a single class of weapon, which must be recorded on the character sheet (e.g. Weapon Master – Chainsword). When using this weapon, the character counts the weapon as having one extra point of reach than it usually has, up to a maximum of 4. GMs should feel free to confer additional bonuses if they so wish. Category:Gaming